Glossary term
Photonics (Silicon Photonics)
Optical interconnects integrated directly with silicon; the foundation of co-packaged optics for next-generation AI systems.
Silicon Photonics integrates optical interconnects directly onto or beside silicon chips, moving data with light rather than electrical signals over copper. It is the foundation of co-packaged optics, where the optical engine sits in the same package as the switch or accelerator to cut power and latency. Photonics is widely viewed as the next step once electrical interconnect hits its limits. See Networking & Optical 101.